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Efforts to improve teacher education have put mentoring -- or student-teaching -- in the spotlight, with some calling for greater scrutiny of mentor teachers. Some models provide for greater vetting of such teachers, and other options include focusing on a co-teaching model, which began in special education and St. Cloud State University, in Minnesota, where it was pioneered.

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One New York City school has used various strategies to help a majority of its students with special needs pass state assessments. Most of the school's teachers are dual-certified in special and general education, and teachers use co-teaching and push-in services to meet students' needs.

A Florida school district faces a state investigation for allegedly using short-term substitutes as co-teachers to meet required class sizes. State law requires specific student-teacher ratios and allows the use of yearlong co-teachers in larger classes if the teachers share equal classroom responsibilities.

The mentoring and guidance gained from experienced educators can help student-teachers manage evolving challenges, such as special needs-inclusive classrooms and a greater emphasis placed on testing, experts say. "The changes in education are changing the way we prepare our students, and the more experience they can get in classrooms, the better," said Gail Halmstad, a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student-teacher supervisor. Interacting with student-teachers also benefits the mentors, as they are prompted to reconsider teaching methods and introduce ideas and lesson plans.

A summer program at California State University, Dominguez Hills, is developing future math and science teachers for low-income, urban schools by partnering candidates with mentor teachers to co-teach courses in local schools. Student-teachers receive up to a $20,000 stipend and agree to teach Saturday classes in urban schools for at least four years, plus meet weekly with mentors.

Stricter student-teacher ratios and limited classroom space have some Florida elementary schools teaching students in double classrooms, where two classes are combined and taught by two teachers. Some parents and school board members have doubts about whether quality instruction can take place under such conditions. However, some educators say the arrangement can be beneficial to students if planning is done and if the co-teachers work together effectively.